Die press



July 12, 1938. Q, OECKL DIE PRESS Filed March 50, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 11 q) Inventor Orro 05cm.

w mt L7 l/dh 5. 75121912 July 12, 1938. Q OE KL 2,123,683

DIE PRESS Filed March so, 1937 s Sheets-Sheet 2 I 56 T i I lhventor OTTo05cm.

ATTGRNEy 0. OECKL DIE PRESS July 12, 1938.

Filed March 30, .1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. 7.

Fig. 8.

K O T T 0 July 12, 193s. V o. OECKIL v 2,123,683

DIE PRESS Filed March so, "1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inventor:

Orro OECKL WORN July 12, 1938. Q QECKL 2,123,683

' DIE PRESS Filed March 30, 19:57 5 sheets-Sheet 5 Fly. /2.

. v Inventor Orro 05cm. Wwcm STBZMZQ ATTORN i1 Patented July 1 2, 1938 pmi; PRESS I 'Otto Oeckl, Berlin-Baumschulenweg, Germany,

assignor .to He'nschel Flugzeug-Werke A. G., Sc'honeield, Germany, astock company'of Germany Application-Magch 30, 1932, Serial No. 133,8122 5 Claims. (Cl. 153-48) This invention relates to a die press forshapingfmetal sheets, and its principal object is to provide a machinewhich is serviceable in the production of panels of light metal as forin- 5 stance the metal sheetsofthe outer skin of airplane wings. and/ordrawing, substantially in one direction only with merely slightdeformations occurring in the other direction;

.Another object of the invention is to provide means for bending and/ ordrawing metal sheets the edges of which may largely vary in shape.

A further object is to provide means for working sheet metal blanks withbentor angular 15 edges. I l I The invention primarily consists in apressing machine comprising a frame yvith a .pressing head and twosupports individually movable on the frame by self-locking means,towards and 20 away fromsaid pressing head. At least two individu'allyoperative are mounted on each support in such a manner, however, thattheir relative position with respect to the supports may be .altered,within certain limits, i. e. laterally, 25 forward and backward, andabout an axis atright angles to the afore-mentioned directions ofmovement.

The invention further consists in a machine comprising two or fourpressunits of the men- 30 tioned type in parallel or twin-parallelarrangement which permits use in many combinations as best suited to theshape and size of. the metal sheets to be worked in. each instance.

. I Further objects and details'oimy invention will 35, be apparent fromthe description hereinafter Such metal sheets require bendingand' fromthe accompanying drawings showing.

Fig. 8 a top plan view of the parts illustrated in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9a perspective view of a pressing head with lateral extension; d j1 Figs. 10 to 13 diagrammatic'plan views or a 5 twin-parallelarrangement of tour press units 1 illustrating different combinations ofcooperating pressing heads and vise supports. I In the figures,reference characters I, 2, 3,]

designate fourpress units respectively, each of 1o.

which may be used separateiy as a self -contained binding and/or drawingress provided the sheet metal blank to be machined does not exceed themaximum dimensions for which the unit is built. The four press units areof similar design.v Each 15 has a frame comprising two beams 5 and 6 0tI-iron. The beams are parallel with each other, and are held apredetermined distance apart by two end plates I and 8, two brackets 9and I0,

and two rib plates II and I2. The plates and brackets are rigidlyunited-with the beams by any suitable means for instance by welding. Apress cylinder 13 with a ram 14 is mounted on said.

brackets it and Ill substantially in the center ot .the press unit-towhich it belongs. Ram. ll

carries a pressing head [5 with grooves l6 which serve forattachinggthereto a die (not shown) or a lateral extension H (see Figs.9, 12 and 13) for a purpose to tie-described later.

embodiments of my invention by way of example.

The drawings show in Fig. l'alongitudinal section along line ll 4.0 0!Fig. '2 of a portion of a machine according to y invention;

Fig. la another longitudinal section along line i la-la of Fig.2;

2 a section along line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the combination of two press unitsbeing illustrated;

Fig. 3 a top plan view of thecombination oi Fig.- 2, only two 01 thevises being showni Fig. 4 a side elevationoi a support with the vises;

. Fig. 5 a top plan view of one of the vises; Fig.6 a section along line6-6 of Fig. 2; p Fig. a section along. line 1+1 of'Fig. 6 showing aportion oi. a'support coupledwith a bridgas ingsueport Vises on movablesupports are provided to grip and hold 'the edges of the sheet metalplate while it is shaped by a die mounted on the pressing. head., Onlytwo such vises are shown in Fig. 3; and in Figs. 10 to 13, .vises areindicated only in as much asneeded in the combination illustrated by therespective figure. ,Care is takenv to permit the vises and supports tobe adjusted in correspondence to the shape of the edges 01 the sheets tobe machined, and to allow even for bent or angular edges of such sheets.For this pur- 4o pose, vise supports 18 and I!) are arranged onsaidbeams 5 and 6 of each unit at opposite sides of the pressing head,and may be individu l moved towards the center or the ends of beams: 5and. 6. Each of the supports l8 and I9 ,is made of twoparalleiI-b'ars-20 and 2| spaced from and connectedto each other by 'a foot plate 22, aop plate 23, end pieces 24, 25, 26 and 21,-. and a number of ribs 28.Top plate 23 is slotted or groovedi-at 29', andthe slot or groove may bewidened atl3llas clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 8.

. The bottom'lor foot plate 22 has two holes 3| and 32 through whichbolts 33 and 34 respectively 7 may be to hang by their nuts! and 36between'beams 5; and 6; By their heads 31, 38,

ing operations: First, by turning the threaded I bolts 33 and 34 carryatransverse beam 33 formed of two channels 46 with connecting plates 4 Iand 42. Transverse beams 33 are suspended below beams 5 and 6, and arepreferably longer than the transverse distance of said beams 5 and 6.

Now it is obvious that each support may be shifted along the beams 5 and6, and that the transverse beam 39 associated therewith will follow suchmovement. Furthermore, each support may beplaced on" beams 5 and 6 so asto fering with the beams. when a support is cor rectly adjusted, nuts 35and 36 may be tightened by-a wrench through windows 43 and 44 of I-bar26 whereby the support will be securely clamped to the frame beams 5 and6 by means of transverse bar 39. v

Means may be provided for facilitating the shifting of the supports.Threaded spindles 45 and 46 may serve this purpose. Each of the spindlesis associated with one of the supports, and is journaled in a hearing atone of the end plates I, 6 of the beams and in another bearing at thebrackets 9, I6. These bearings are designated with 41, 46, 49, andrespectively. Each spindle carries a nut 5I which has an upwardextension 52 as clearly shown in Fig. 1a. Extension 52 passes through ahole 53 in the bottom plate 22 of the associated support, and forms apivot for the latter. the end of the extension 52 and safeguards, iftightened, that the support be shifted. parallel with itself when thespindle 46 is turned by- ,means of a hand wheel 55 or by a poweroperated means such as an electric motor I55 indicated in Fig. 10. Ronthe other hand-nut 54 is loose, support I9 may be turned about extension52.. Support I8 is connected with its associated spindle 45 in the samemanner as support I9 with its spindle 46.

On each support, at leasttwo vises 56 may be mounted as clearly shownin-Fig. 4. Each vise 56 comprises a body 51 with a stationary jaw- 56and a movable jaw 59wh ich may be operated by means of a lever arm 66 toclamp the edge of a metal sheet between both. jaws. A bolt 62 is passedthrough a wide hole 6| of vise 56, so that ii the bolt is secured withits lower end in a support the vise may be moved in all directions inthe plane of its supporting surface as far as the size of the hole 6Ipermits, and that thevise may be also turned about volt 62. A largewasher 63', covers the hole 6I of the vise, and nut 64 of bolt 62 bearsupon this washer when it is screwed on in order to hold the vise in anadjusted position with regard to its support while head 65 of bolt 62 isinserted in groove 29 of the top plate 23 of one of the supports. I

The device according to the present invention, and which has beendescribed hereinbeiore, consists of a die press comprising the combinedmeans for holding the edgesmf a metal sheet during the bending and/ordrawing operation without causing undue local stresses of the material.The new device permits the machining of metal sheets having practicallyany size within the limits of the dimensions of the machine, and anydesired edge shape, that is to say, even of sheets with bent or angularedges. For this purpose the clamping jaws are adjustable in accordancewith I the outline of the metal sheet to be shaped by the bending and/ordrawing action of a. die se- .cured to the pressing head I5. Theadjustment A' nut 54 is screwed on spindles 45 and 46 with the aid ofhand wheels 55 or a motor I55, supports I6 and I3 carrying vises 56 maybe moved towards or away from the pressinghead I5. Second, by turningthe supports I6 and I9 about their associated spindle nut extensions 52,the supports may be set parallel with the general direction-of the blankedges to be held by the vises. Third, by shifting the individual vises56 with their bolts 62 along the grooves 29 of the supports I6 and I 6,the vises may be set opposite the desiredportions of the blank edges.Fourth, by moving the individual vises 56 .with respect to their bolts62 in the plane of their supporting surfaces, and fifth by turning thevises about their bolts, the vises may be further adjusted to followconcavities and convexities of the blank edges. When the supports andvises are properly set and secured in their adjusted position bytightening-the screw nuts 35, 36, 54, and 64, the blank edges may beclamped between the vise jaws 56 and '53 with the aid of the lever arms66. Thereafter, a die' secured to the pressure head may be raised by:the ram I4 to engage the blank from below and. to bend and/or draw itinto the desired shape;

Owing to the preceding accurate adjustment of the vises, undue stressesof the blank will be;

eliminated or at least minimized during the machining operation. 0n theother hand, there the possibility of deliberately producing localized Vstresses by adjusting the individual vises accordingly. There is alsothe possibility of first adjusting the vises. and clamping the metalsheet to be machined as stated hereinbefore. Then the die may be raiseduntil a certain first bending and drawing of the metal sheet has beenaccomplished near the apex of the'die. Thereafter,

- the vises may be reset, particularly by advancing the supports towardsthe pressing head,- whereupon the raising of the die may be con- Itinned. Suchalternating setting of the vises and lifting of the die maybe repeated depending upon the required final shape of the blank. Suchstepwise operation ofiers the advantage that the relative movement ofthe metal sheet .does not ,cause a detrimental friction at the sides ofthe die. r

The invention further contemplates the arrangement of two and of fourpress units of the type described in order to form combinations .ofmachines as best suited for the particular shape of metal sheets to bebent and/or drawn in each instance. I

In the embodiment shown in-Figs. 2 and 3,

two press units Iand 2 a're mounted parallel with each other. In orderto combine both units so as to form an entirety, bridges 66 and 61 areprovided which may be coupled with the supports I8 and I9 respectivelyofboth press units I and 2.

Each of the bridgesforms a.support of at least two vises, in the exampleof Fig. 2 of three vises wh ch are of the same design as the vises 56.on

supports I8 and I9, and which for this reason are designated with thesame, reference char actor. The supporting bridges 66 and 61 may be of astructure similar to that ofsupports I6 and I9, that is to say, eachbridge comprises two,

and I8. are provided in the webs of the I-bars of the supports and thebridges respectively.

Pieces M have substantially the shape of a quadrangle withthreadedextensions I andlt at the 5 front sides thereof. Coupling pieces14 are held in their positions by nuts I9 and 80 bearing against washers8| and 82 which in turn engage the pertaining support and bridgesimultaneously.

As iearly shown, the coupling pieces 14 are so 1 ated that they do notprotrude beyond the upper surfaces of the connected bridge and suprts.The top or vise-supporting, surfaces of /l i e bridges are flush withthe top surfaces of supports l8 and I9, and a slot or groove 81 isprovided in the top plate 10 of each bridge and forms the continuationof the grooves 29 of the supports when the bridge is connected thereto.

Grooves 84 serve to hold the ends of bolts 62 of the vises which arecarried by the bridges. The

arrangement permits shifting of a vise from a support to abridgeconnected therewith, and

back again. In order to facilitate the insertion and the removal of thebridges, the ends of the bridges are rounded oifas shown at 83 in Figs.3 and 8.

With both bridges in position, the units l and 2 form a combined presswith two pressing heads which may be connected by simultaneouslysecuring one' die to both of them. The vises and 3 the supports togetherwith the bridges are individually operative and movable in the samemanner as described heretofore with the exception, however, that thesupports cannot be turned about pivots 52. When the bridges are removed,

each unit may be separately operated as stated The twin parallelarrangement of four press units permits a number of combinations some ofwhich are-illustrated in Figs. 10 to 13.

Fig. 10 shows a duplication of the arrangement justdescribed withreference to Figs. 2 and 3, inasmuch'as bridges N and GI connect units 1and 2 on the one hand, and units 3 and l on the other hand so as to formtwo twin presses. when the bridges are removed each unit may be usedseparately. I

with the vises removed from support ll of unit 2, and from support I! ofunit I as in Fig. 11, units 2 and I may be used as a combined presshaving the combined'working length of both. Iii-the same manner units land l -may be used. If, then, bridges I and 31 are coupled to thepertaining supports ll of units 3 and and "of units l and 2, all fourunits form one 56 press having their combined length and width.

If the lateral extensions I'lare applied to the heads ll of units i andI, and ii, then, bothpressing heads, and support ll "of the one unitfandsupport ll ofthe other are turned '00 parallel to eachv other as in Fig.12, a metal sheet may be machined which has a width equal to the lengthof the supports, and a length equal to the distance of the diagonallyopposite supit and I0. Simultaneously, units 3 and l as may be used inthe same wayor Ina-manner as described with reference to Fig. 10. K If,finally, support I! of unitl, and'supnort ll,

of unit 4 are used as indicated in Fig. 13, the metal sheet to be workedmay stlllbe longer, in 70 fact as long as the maximum distance of thementioned supports from eachother.

While I have shown and'described certain new and novel features of myinventionit will be understood that well known equivalents of the 11sillustratedelements maybe used, and that other substitutions, omissionsand modifications in the structure and details of the illustratedmachine may be made by those skilled in the art without departing fromthe spirit and the scope of the invention which is indicated in thefollowing 5 claims; f

7 What I claim is: u

1. A die press for shaping metal sheets comprising a frame, a "pressinghead to which a die may be attached, two vise supports having sup- 10porting surfaces and being movable-on said frame at opposite sides ofsaid pressing head, self-locking and individually operative'means formoving said supports towards and away from said pressing head, means forsecuring said supports to said frame, and at least two vises on each ofsaid supports, each of I said vises being individually operative andmovable relatively to its associated support in the plane of-itssupporting surface, and being also rotatable about an axis at right 20angles to said plane. I

2. A die press for shaping metal sheets comprising a frame, a pressinghead to which a die may be attached, two vise supports having supportingsurfaces and being movable on said frame 25 l at opposite sides of saidpressing head, two iindi vidually operative screw-and-nut drives forlnoving said supports towards and away from said pressing head, a pivoton each nut for its associated support so as to permit a slanting adust- 30' prising a frame including two parallel longitudi nal membersspaced from each other, a pressing 40 head to which a die may beattached, two upper transverse members having supporting surfaces andbeing movable on said frame at opposite sides of said pressing head, twolower transverse members associated to said upper transverse. members 5respectively and extending below both said longitudinal members, twopairs or screw bolts extend-' ing between said longitudinal members andconnecting each upper transverse member with its and away fromsaidpressing head, and at least two vises on each of said upper transversemenibers', each of said vises being individually operative and movablerelatively to its associated. transverse member in the plane of itssupporting surface, andbeing also rotatable about an axis so at rightangles to said plane.

4. A die press for shaping metal sheets coniprising a frame, a pressinghead to which a die may be attached, two vise supports having supportingsurfaces and being movable on said frame 55 at opposite sides of saidpressing head. self-locking and individually operative means for movingsaid supports towards and away from said pressing head, at least twovises on each oiv said supports. each of said vises being individuallyoperative, and one clamping bolt for eachof said vises, each boltpassing through a wide hole of its associated vise and being attached tothe associated support so as permit alimited movement of the viserelatively the associated support 15- in the plane of its supportingsurface and also a-rotation of the vise about an axis at right angles tosaidplane.

6. A die press for shaping metal sheets comprising a frame including twolongitudinal parallel members spaced from each other, a pressing head towhich a die may be attached, two transverse members having supportingsurfaces and being movable on said frame at opposite sides of saidpressing head, each of said transverse members having a groove extendingin the longitudinal direction of said transverse member, at least twovises on each of said transverse members,

each of said vises being individually operative,

and one clamping bolt for each of said vises, each bolt being attachedto the associated transverse a rotation of the vise about an axis atright angles 10 to said plane.

OTTO OECKL.

